SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — The City of Summerside has a new fire chief.
Capt. Ron Enman of the Summerside Fire Service has been named the new director following the recent retirement of long-serving chief Jim Peters.
Enman has been a member of the Summerside department since 1999, and served in Tyne Valley for five years before the move to the city.
"I'm pretty excited. But there are big shoes to fill," Enman said. "Chief Peters had 47 years with the department, 38 (of) those as chief."
Enman, who has a 25-year-long career under his belt, is looking forward to the newness of running the department.
He was one of several who applied for the position and went through an interview process before being offered the position.
Throughout his career in firefighting, Enman has been an advocate for continuous learning.
He brings an impressive training resume, including the certificate in fire leadership from Dalhousie University.
"I've been working and learning for 25 years. I'm the vice-president of the P.E.I. Fire School. Ensuring the safety of our crew with new techniques and working with (Occupational Health and Safety) to learn new techniques is very important."
In 2016, he was named the Summerside Fire Department's firefighter of the year.
Fifty-five volunteers make up the department's staff.
"Summerside Fire Service has a long history of serving the citizens of Summerside exceptionally well, and we are very pleased to have Ron leading the charge into the future," said Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart.
Enman said his family is excited about his new role.
"The grandkids spend a lot of time (at the station) already, so I'm sure they'll be around even more.
"I'm looking forward to putting my own spin on it. We've got a couple men set to retire so we'll have new people coming in. So I'm looking forward to establishing a chain of command that works for the guys."
Enman officially became chief July 22.
